Why People Wear the Engagement Ring on the Fourth Finger of the Left Hand?
You may have seen women wearing an engagement ring on the fourth finger, the one between pinkie and middle finger. This is a clear sign that she is engaged with someone. Below are a few reasons why people wear the engagement diamond ring on the left-hand finger, and it may catch you by surprise.
The History
The origins of an engagement diamond rings can be traced back to the thirteenth century Rome, which was when Pope Innocent III mandatorily declared a waiting period between one’s betrothal and the marriage. As a result, couples of Christian religion decided to sport a gold or silver ring in order to show people that, although they were not yet married, they were not single anymore. In fact, they wore engagement rings on their left hand’s fourth finger, as most people wear them nowadays.
The Modern Audience versus Medical Perspective
You may relate to the engagement ring tradition as one that is romantic. However, do you know the actual real reason behind this age-old tradition? According to Roman and Greek beliefs, a vein runs from the said ring finger directly to the heart. It was called “Vena Amoris”, which translates to the “Vein of Love”. This tradition is one that some medical practitioners term factually inaccurate since all fingers have a comparable vein structure. However, the age-old tradition seems to be one that is based on spiritual and magical properties, not based on a practical knowledge of circulatory systems in the human body.
Why Follow Traditions?
Throw in the fact that a symbolic endless cycle of an engagement or eternity ring represents the infinite bond and you have an adorable tradition. Of course, following this tradition does no harm to you but it could make your engagement known to people. Most people know that why others wear engagement diamond rings on the left-hand ring finger, so you could simply post a photograph of it on your social networking handle and let the whole world know about it.
Perhaps, the only time when you may have to think twice about wearing an engagement ring this way will be when you get a wedding anniversary ring, and adding it seem rather bulky on your hand. There is no rulebook to it though, which means that you cannot wear the engagement ring on the right hand finger – it is just that it is symbolic of friendship, same-sex relationship, and economical freedom of women.